Sailors assigned to the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) participated in the Navy-wide Petty Officer 1st Class advancement exam, March 5.

Sailors from across the fleet participate in the exam the first Thursday of every March and September in hopes of advancing to the rank of petty officer 1st class.

"It gives people an opportunity to become more than what they are; to be a leader," said Personnel Specialist 1st Class Trinity Matthews, education service officer for the E-6 exam. "It gives them an opportunity to strive for something better."

Frank Cable is currently moored in Sasebo, Japan, for a port visit, which can present challenges to some Sailors in the weeks leading into the exam.

"You can't just go home and open your books, so you have to find a spot and get away from everybody; but everybody is always here," said Matthews. "You also sometimes have to resist the temptation to go out on liberty. It might be difficult, but it's possible."

For some, being underway minimizes distractions and has actually proven to be a better study environment for advancement.

"I've found it's a lot easier to study underway due to the fact that there's no distraction other than your job," said Electronics Technician 2nd Class Joshua Miller. "It's not like I have the home, wife and animals to take care of. When I go home, I've go to think about all that and then study. Now I just do my job and then instead of going home I'm right here studying."

Aside from passing the exam and advancing, the Navy's newest first class petty officers must also be ready to grow into the role and lead Sailors to success.

"It has its challenges," said Matthews. "We all learn every day, but I'm learning a lot. The people I was peers with, I now have to lead. It's a little bit different switching over from being their friend to being their leader."

Frank Cable, forward deployed to the island of Guam, conducts maintenance and support of submarines and surface vessels deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility and is currently on a scheduled underway period.

For more information on Frank Cable, visit www.cable.navy.mil or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/USSFrankCableAS40.


For more news from USS Frank Cable (AS 40), visit www.navy.mil/.